Chapter 110 Li Chu is doomed
In fact, the head of the Cui family only found out that the second young master Cui started to retaliate against the Cui family because of Li Chu's instigation, and he didn't know that Li Chu had any relationship with Zong Zhengxiao.
He planned to cause Li's mother to fall, set fire to the goods, and asked people to cause trouble in the store, all just to test whether Li Chu had any other tricks up his sleeve.
Because Patriarch Cui had seen Li Chu's intentions, he knew that Li Chu would not risk handing over such a large Li family to him alone to take care of. Moreover, the affair between Li Chu and Second Young Master Cui could be exposed to him at any time, causing him to turn from guilt to hatred towards the Li family.
After all, there are not many people who have the ability to protect the Li family and allow Li Chu to leave the capital without worry.
The Cui family did these small things to the Li family just to catch the big fish behind them. He thought it would take some time, but he didn't expect the fish to react so quickly.
But what Patriarch Cui didn't expect was that the person behind Li Chu was actually Emperor Zong Zhengxiao!
As the candidate for Li Chu's backer, Patriarch Cui had never considered Zong Zhengxiao before, because he always firmly believed that no matter how much fighting there was among the noble families, no one would switch to the royal camp.
It would be a lie to say that he was not shocked. It could only be said that Li Chu kept it a secret so well that Patriarch Cui couldn't even figure out when Li Chu changed his mind.
When he thought about how Li Chu had kept a secret from him for so long, and even the fact that Li Chu had asked him to look after the Li family before leaving Beijing was probably a carefully planned plan by Li Chu, Patriarch Cui felt so choked up that he almost vomited blood.
He had been so powerful for decades, but in the end he was schemed against by two young men, and both schemes succeeded. How could he feel at ease?
In addition to the Chen family, Li Chu was also one of the culprits for his second son's suicide.
Now that the Chen family has fallen, it is Li Chu's turn.
In the study, surrounded by the fragrance, the murderous intent in the heart of the head of the Cui family became stronger and stronger.
Before winter, Ji Xie delivered the last batch of seafood. As the cement roads covered wider and wider areas, the speed of shipping goods also increased a lot.
Although Ji Xie did not find much grain seeds while traveling along the coast in recent years, he promoted the development of the local seafood industry, which can be considered a good deed.
Zong Zhengxiao praised him in front of Duke Ji many times in the court, and also sent him many gifts during the New Year as a reward for his hard work.
Ji Xie also wrote a reply letter, which was full of gratitude to Zong Zheng Xiao. He used various words and sentences to praise Zong Zheng Xiao as a god-like figure who had no predecessors and no successors, which made Rong Yin feel disgusted.
Rong Yin: "Ji Xie is indeed a flatterer."
Zong Zheng Xiao laughed: "When he heard what you said, he probably thought you were complimenting him."
Rong Yin looked disgusted: "He would definitely think so."
Zong Zhengxiao laughed out loud again.
After finishing the work at the end of the year and before closing the store, Rong Yin went to find Ning Yue with a New Year gift, and Ning Yue served him fruits and tea.
There was a charcoal brazier in the room, which was a little too hot for Rong Yin, who was not afraid of cold. But Ning Yue was wearing thick clothes and covering her neck tightly with a scarf. Rong Yin felt very hot just looking at her.
Rong Yin was curious: "Ningyue, are you afraid of the cold? Why are you wearing so many thick clothes indoors?"
Ning Yuegan smiled and pulled at her scarf, saying, "This winter is a bit cold."
Rong Yin saw that Ning Yue's nose was sweating, and he couldn't tell whether what she said was true or false. But seeing that she was hiding something and probably didn't want to tell other little secrets, he didn't ask any more questions.
After Rong Yin left, Ning Yue, who was almost burned by the heat, quickly took off her scarf, looked at the conspicuous red mark on her neck in the bronze mirror, and hammered the table lightly in frustration.
I told her not to leave any marks, but she just wouldn't listen. Before I left, she insisted on pulling me close to her, and finally pecked me when I wasn't paying attention.
After Ning Yue came back, she always avoided her boss and didn't even dare to tell her maid, saying only that she had accidentally touched him.
The reason why Ning Yue avoided Rong Yin was because she knew that Rong Yin had a deep relationship with the guy in his family. She had also seen similar ambiguous signs in Rong Yin several times. Rong Yin would definitely be able to easily expose her lies.
Ning Yue stroked the red mark and sighed softly.
Ever since the window paper was pierced, He Yan has become more and more domineering. Ning Yue often wonders where the He Yan who used to be so elegant and cheerful even in the midst of the world has gone.
Or was it that all that gentleness and patience were just He Yan's disguise from beginning to end?
Ning Yue pursed her lips, feeling a little uneasy. He Yan was such a smart person, and after all these years, was it possible that she really hadn't seen through her true intentions?
Just as she was getting anxious, a maid suddenly pushed the door open and came in, carrying several things in her hands. After putting them down breathlessly, she rubbed her wrist and said, "Miss, this is a New Year gift from Miss He. It's so heavy to hold, and I don't know what's inside."
Ning Yue was already filled with anger and panic at this moment. When she suddenly heard He Yan's name, she immediately became like a cat with its feet burned, and she wanted to jump three feet high.
"Whoever wants her New Year gifts, return them all to me." Ning Yue opened her mouth with anger.
The maid was a little dumbfounded, because her daughter had always had a good relationship with the He sisters. Every time they sent something, she would happily accept it and then choose an equally expensive gift to return it.
This is the first time I've seen someone so anxious and panic-sticken.
"Do you really want to go back?" The maid asked again, fearing that she had heard wrongly.
"Go back, all of you, no one is allowed to stay." Ning Yue said, then turned away and no longer looked at the maid.
Half an hour later, inside the Jiaofang Bureau, He Yi'er looked at the pile of returned New Year gifts and smiled gloatingly at her sister, "I let you tease them, let's see how you can get them back."
He Yan put on her makeup and said with a smile, "After all these years, you finally dare to lose your temper with me. Is that a good thing?"
He Yi'er was puzzled: "Is being angry with you a good thing?"
He Yan said, "You will understand when you grow up."
He Yier: "..."
Ning Yue was so angry that she lasted from the end of the year to the beginning of the next spring. During this period, He Yan sent gifts many times to seek reconciliation, but Ning Yue returned them all.
It was not until early spring that He Yan presented Ning Yue with a basket of newly-bloomed peach blossoms with a note of apology written among the flowers. Ning Yue felt He Yan's sincerity and finally relented and continued to associate with her.
But that's all for later.
At night, snow fell from the sky, and Rong Yin and Zong Zhengxiao sat together to eat hot pot.
Rong Yin was happily eating mutton slices when he heard Zong Zhengxiao say to him, "After I intervened, the Cui family never touched the Li family again. However, Madam Li asked the guards to tell her several times that she wanted to see me, but I refused."
Putting the cooked mutton into Zong Zhengxiao's bowl, Rong Yin took another chopstick and put it into the soup pot, saying, "After the Cui family knew that you were helping the Li family, they must have guessed that Li Chu had switched sides. It's impossible for Old Cui not to hate you. Since he didn't continue to attack the Li family, he must have dealt with Li Chu. Madam Li is here to ask you to save Li Chu."
"Ayin is a great cook, the mutton is cooked just right." After eating the mutton, Zong Zhengxiao praised Rong Yin again. After getting a big smile from Rong Yin, he slowly continued the previous topic.
"When Madam Li asked me for help, she was also sending a letter to Li Chu. As for whether Li Chu could receive the letter and whether he could escape the Cui family's assassination after receiving it, that is not something I can control."
Rong Yin was a little worried: "Li Chu is following Ji Xie now, won't that cause trouble for Ji Xie?"
"No." Zong Zhengxiao said, "I have hinted to Ji Xie before that if Li Chu's identity is exposed and the noble families come to hunt him down, don't help him or add insult to injury. Just pretend you didn't see it."
Rong Yin: "What if he plans to drag Ji Xie into this, forcing Ji Xie to help him?"
Zong Zhengxiao said: "It's up to Ji Xie to deal with it himself. After all, the emperor is far away and I can't take care of them. The only thing I can do is to keep my promise and help Li Chu protect the Li family."
As for whether they can hold on in the end, it depends on the Cui family's intention, not him, Zong Zhengxiao.
On New Year's Eve, other families gathered together happily, but ever since Li Chu left, the Li family has been extremely deserted, no matter whether it is a normal day or a festival, without any lively atmosphere.
Madam Li knew clearly the real reason why Li Chu was transferred away from the capital, so she has been keeping a low profile in the past few years, neither provoking the Cui and Chen families nor offending the emperor.
But no matter how reluctant she was, Li Chu's actions were still discovered by the Cui family.
Before she was deliberately pushed down at the banquet, Mrs. Li realized that the Cui family was taking action. She thought that Zong Zhengxiao did not trust Li Chu and would not help. Unexpectedly, Zong Zhengxiao not only helped the Li family, but also helped in an open and aboveboard manner.
As a result, the Cui family soon discovered that Li Chu had actually already defected to the royal family.
Madam Li was no fool, she quickly realized that Zong Zhengxiao had done this on purpose.
Zong Zhengxiao not only did not want to conceal the relationship between the royal family and Li Chu, he also wanted to let everyone in the world know about it, because he wanted to use the aristocratic family as a weapon to kill Li Chu, whom he hated.
Madam Li naturally understood why Zong Zhengxiao did this. In order to plot against Li Ao, Li Chu did not hesitate to drag the innocent Rong Yin into it. When Rong Yin was kidnapped by Li Ao, Li Chu, in order to make Li Ao more guilty, did nothing even though he knew Rong Yin was in danger, and even welcomed it.
What Zong Zhengxiao is doing now is nothing more than an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
He accepted Li Chu's surrender, used Li Chu to deal with the noble families, and deliberately transferred Li Chu away from the capital, so that no matter how many conspiracies and tricks Li Chu had, they would have nowhere to display them.
Now Zong Zheng Xiao has taken advantage of the situation and let the aristocratic families know that Li Chu has betrayed them and harmed them so badly. The aristocratic families will definitely not let Li Chu go, and Li Chu, who is far away and not well-informed, can only wait to die.
Zong Zhengxiao neither harmed nor helped Li Chu. This scene of standing idly by was so similar to what Li Chu did when Rong Yin was kidnapped!
Madam Li knew that this was Zong Zhengxiao's revenge, and she also knew that Li Chu deserved it.
But that was her son, who had been with her for so many years, loved her and respected her, and was a filial son who had been planning for her even before leaving the capital. How could Madam Li bear to watch him die with her own eyes?
She knew that the letter she sent to Li Chu was intercepted by the Cui family, and the only one who could help her was Emperor Zong Zheng Xiao, so she wrote to Zong Zheng Xiao again and again to ask for a meeting, but every time she received a rejection.
Mrs. Li really has no choice.
The family's chef prepared a New Year's Eve dinner tonight, but Mrs. Li only took a few symbolic bites before putting down her chopsticks.
She asked someone to help her to the courtyard where the head of the Li family lived. She walked into the smelly room without changing her expression. After asking the servants to leave, she sat down beside the bed and raised her hand to lift the bed curtain.
The head of the Li family lay motionless on the bed, like a dry branch, wrapped in a worn quilt, his skin tightly wrinkled and with several cracks, as if a spark would set him on fire.
Knowing that Madam Li was coming, he didn't even move his eyes. Apart from the fact that he was still breathing, he was no different from a dead person.
Mrs. Li coughed a few times and looked at him as if he were an ant.
"My son and I spared your life because we wanted to see you suffer in a dilemma. Every time I see your miserable state, the anger I felt at that time disappears a little bit."
Listening to Madam Li's provocative words, the head of the Li family might have glared angrily in the past, but at this moment he turned a deaf ear to her, staring at the ceiling of the bed with gloomy eyes, and even his breathing was as light as before, almost nonexistent.
Mrs. Li continued, "A few days ago, there was a fire in the yard where you lived. You were almost burned to death. Do you know who did it?"
Hearing this, Patriarch Li's eyes finally moved.
Madam Li raised the corners of her lips, as if she was saying something very funny, "It was Master Cui who used to serve you and obey you. He found out that my Chu'er had plotted against him, so he wanted to teach the Li family a lesson. There are so many places in the Li family, but he chose your yard to set fire to it. Haha, he really made the best use of everything. Even though you have become what you are now, he still wants to take his anger out on you."
The head of the Li family opened his mouth with difficulty, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't even take a deep breath.
Mrs. Li's eyes were full of sarcasm: "I was also inspired by him. I suddenly remembered that I still have a person like you who can be used. Master, you know how badly you have treated me and Chu Er over the past few years. So I ask you for some compensation today. You shouldn't mind, right?"
As she spoke, Madam Li leaned over, picked up an empty pillow beside her, and pointed it at the face of the head of the Li family.
"Chu'er is in trouble, and only Your Majesty can help him, but I don't have enough conditions to persuade Your Majesty. My Lord, you used to contradict His Majesty, and he must hate you very much. Do you think he would be happy if I killed you? If he is happy, he might agree to save my Chu'er."
Mrs. Li did not look down at Mr. Li when she spoke, so she did not notice that when the pillow got closer, Mr. Li's originally calm face suddenly turned fierce.
Even though he had lived a life worse than death over the past few years, his instinct of greed and fear of death still made the head of the Li family fear death. He tried to open his mouth as wide as possible, and his eyes seemed to be bulging out.
He wanted to raise his arms to block the falling pillow, but his body had already lost all its vitality like a stone. So he only had time to utter a faint, almost inaudible "huh" before his face was covered, and then his right to breathe was taken away.
When death was imminent, the head of the Li family couldn't even struggle, and Mrs. Li didn't even try hard. After a while, he was no longer breathing.
Mrs. Li took away the pillow, reached out her hand to feel his breath, and after confirming that he was really dead, she slowly sat back.
As if she was just tired from walking, Mrs. Li sat in the chair to rest, and her expression did not change during the time.
There was no fear or pleasure of killing someone in her eyes, only indifference.
The man who had tortured her for decades finally died in her hands. She even chose New Year's Eve on purpose to prevent him from living until the next year.
For Mrs. Li, celebrating the New Year and her husband's death were double happiness.
The news of the death of the head of the Li family was not released until the next morning. To those who were not in the know, it was not so shocking that he died suddenly one day after being paralyzed for so many years.
However, the guards sent by Zong Zhengxiao, who were supposed to be there for protection but were actually there for surveillance, witnessed everything that happened outside the window last night.
The next morning, Madam Li wrote a letter as usual and asked the guards to hand it to Zong Zhengxiao.
When the guard delivered the letter, he also told Zong Zhengxiao the reason why Madam Li killed the head of the Li family.
After hearing this, Zong Zhengxiao still did not agree to meet Madam Li, but asked the guards to convey a message.
"I will not save Li Chu, but no matter whether Li Chu can survive the pursuit of the aristocratic family, the grudge between me and Li Chu will be written off, and I will not plot revenge against him and the Li family again."
Zong Zhengxiao has a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment. Since Li Chu has already paid the price for his mistake, he will not hold on to it anymore.
After learning Zong Zhengxiao's intention from the guards, Madam Li knew that there was no turning back. She was stunned for a long while, kowtowed several times towards the direction of the palace, and then went back to her room and did not come out for a long time.
Mrs. Li began to pray to God every day, hoping that her son would return safely.
As for the head of the Li family, Mrs. Li did not ask anything about the funeral and left it entirely to the steward.
For fear that outsiders might become suspicious about the cause of his death, the funeral of the head of the Li family was still held at the scale of the head of the family. However, because the Chinese New Year had just passed, it was not appropriate to hold a funeral, so they waited for about half a month before carrying the body to the Li family's ancestral tomb for burial.
According to Madam Li and Li Chu's original instructions, the head of the Li family was buried next to the cenotaph of his aunt and Li Ao. Since they were loving and happy during their lifetime, they should be reunited as a family after their death.
In spring, a drizzle falls from the sky, moistening the land that has just been sown.
In the Silver Shark Garden, Rong Yin was taking the little Douzi, who had grown into big dogs, for a walk in the courtyard. Zong Zhengxiao walked in hurriedly, walked quickly to Rong Yin, and handed him a piece of letter paper.
"A letter from Ji Xie." Zong Zhengxiao said.
Rong Yin opened it and saw the following words: Li Chu met pirates and fell into the sea. He could not be found anywhere and his life or death is unknown. I was not involved in the incident and I am fine. Don't worry about me.
Rong Yin closed the letter, and suddenly her heart felt calm and peaceful.
He said: "Li Chu has never fought against the aristocratic family."
"Ayin, tell me, is Li Chu alive or dead?" Zong Zhengxiao looked at Rong Yin.
Rong Yin shook his head: "It depends on his own luck."
Cui family.
After receiving the news of the successful assassination, the head of the Cui family, whose brows were always tightly furrowed, finally relaxed a little today.
However, neither the living nor the dead were found, which still made Mr. Cui a little worried.
The steward quickly explained, "The assassin said that when Li Chu fell, the waves were rising and the boat was far from the shore. In addition, Li Chu's arm was cut off. Even if he had great abilities, it would be difficult for him to survive in such a situation."
Patriarch Cui was still worried, and said in a serious tone: "Didn't the Chen family firmly believe that the guards protecting Xin'er were all dead? As a result, one of the guards not only survived, but also returned to the capital. This kind of thing must be prevented. Send more people to monitor the area. Don't let Li Chu have a chance to survive, otherwise there will be endless troubles."
"Yes." The steward responded and left.
Before the head of the Cui family could catch his breath, the steward who taught the third young master Cui came to report that the third young master felt that learning to be a housekeeper all day was too annoying and tiring, so he sneaked out when the servants were not paying attention, and no one knew where he went.
The steward who came to report thought that Patriarch Cui would be furious, but he just frowned and said calmly, "Find someone to bring him back to me. You don't have to bring him to see me. Let him kneel in the ancestral hall for three days and three nights first."
Without waiting for the butler's response, Patriarch Cui left the study and walked in a certain direction alone.
The steward thought about it and thought that it seemed to be the direction of Young Master Cui's yard.
After the death of Master Cui, his yard has been empty ever since, with no one living in it and no one cleaning it.
When Patriarch Cui pushed open the dusty front door, all he saw was a mess of weeds all over the ground. The flower wall in the corner had long since withered, and even though it was already the New Year, there was no sign of it reviving.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Patriarch Cui seemed to have an illusion. He saw his second son standing on the stairs not far away. A pair of eyes that looked very similar to his were looking at him gloomily, and his thin lips were slightly raised in a sarcastic smile.
In the blink of an eye, the illusion disappeared, but the Cui family head's footsteps stopped.
"It seems that you don't want me to enter your yard." Patriarch Cui said to himself, "Then I will tell you here."
Patriarch Cui straightened his back slightly, as if he was very proud.
"The Chen family is gone, and Li Chu was killed by me. Your plan to take the Cui family to hell has failed. You see, your son is no match for me. When you go to hell, you will be scolded by your ancestors. I will be a hero who saved the situation and will be respected and admired by all the descendants of the Cui family for generations to come."
The Cui family head spoke louder and louder, and his tone even took on a hint of madness.
"Oh, by the way, you probably didn't expect that Li Chu was the emperor's man. You were a poor bug who was schemed by the emperor from the beginning to the end. Do you really think you can take revenge on the Cui family?"
Speaking of Zong Zheng Xiao, there was a hint of resentment in Patriarch Cui's eyes.
"Speaking of which, the source of all the tragedies of the aristocratic families was actually Zong Zhengxiao. If he hadn't insisted on going against the aristocratic families, nothing would have happened to the He family, the Li family, and the Chen family, and I wouldn't have lost you and Xin'er..."
Sending away two sons in a row made Patriarch Cui feel pained and angry. "And what about Rong Yin? If he hadn't shown up and helped Zong Zhengxiao, how could our family have been defeated?"
"No, no, it's the others who lost. My Cui family is still fine." The head of the Cui family looked a little crazy. He held the door tightly, his eyes full of bloodshot. "It's the He family, the Chen family, and the Li family that are useless. My Cui family will not lose. My Cui family is a century-old family. How can they defeat me!"
He gritted his teeth and said, "My Cui family must win, and Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin must die."
Unbeknownst to anyone, a vicious plan had already taken root in the mind of Patriarch Cui.
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